The father of the al Qaeda terrorist behind Friday’s attempted explosion aboard a Northwest flight bound for Detroit reported his son’s fanatical religious views to the U.S. Embassy six months ago, according to a Nigerian news outlet.

The young man, Umar Farouk Abdul Mutallab, is the son of Alhaji Umaru Mutallab, a former Nigerian minister and bank chairman. He became wary of his son’s religious beliefs and reported his activities to the U.S. Embassy as well as Nigerian security services half a year ago, according to the Nigerian newspaper This Day.

The elder Mutallab had left his home in Katsina today, a city in Northern Nigeria, to speak with security agencies, the site reported, quoting family sources.

He said his son left London to travel, though he did not know where to.

“I believe he might have been to Yemen, but we are investigating to determine that,” he says.

A source close to the dad said he was shocked that his son was allowed to travel to this country after he’d reported his extreme views.

The bungling bomber is an engineering student at the University College, London, and is known to have preached Islamic teachings while in high school, where he was called “Alfa,” which is slang for Islamic scholar.

After enrolling at the University College in London, Mutallab relocated to Egypt and then Dubai, where he told his family that he no longer wanted contact with them, the site reported.

The would-be jihadist smuggled explosive powder onto the plane, which had originated in Amsterdam, and tried to detonate it as the airliner descended into Detroit. As the crew prepared to land, Mutallab emerged from the bathroom with a pillow over his stomach and then began mixing chemicals in a syringe.

However the device misfired and began spewing smoke and flames, setting Mutallab’s legs on fire. Heroic passengers sprayed him down with water and fire extinguishers, restrained him, trapped him in a headlock, and dragged him to the front of the plane.

He is currently being treated for his burns at the University of Michigan hospital in Ann Arbor.